I came across two ECCC Merchandise stands during my walkabout. This one in front of the Main Showroom, didn't have too long of a line...

(Image: ECCC Merchandize booth in front of the Mainshowroom Entrance)

...but the smaller one in Artist Alley had less than half a dozen people waiting to be served. I certainly didn't want to pass-up the opportunity a short merchandise line presented, and I was able to place my order as soon as I weaved my way to the cashier.

The cashier asked me if I was excited about the The Punisher TV series. To my chigrin, I told her this was the first I've heard of it.

I guess I should do some homework before venturing out to conventions in order to maintain my "geek cred."

Anyway, once I got the ECCC merchandise I wanted, I set off to annoy chat with some of the artists I know--and maybe even buy something from them. (Note: In my case, "know" means I've met an artist once, or twice).

I've run into Rebecca Hicks, author of Little Vampires, at just about every con I've managed to attend. So I always make it a point to stop by her booth and say hi.

(Image: Rebecca Hicks, her husband and her Little Vampires booth)

Her and her husband were nice enough to pose for a picture, even though I couldn't find anything this year to buy from them.

Brad Guigar has a few projects going on and several products available, but he always takes the time to talk to fans.

He maintains a "how-to" site about making and maintaining webcomics called--well--Webcomics.com.

His current long-form comic is Evil Inc., about a super-villain corporation. He's working through Patreon to fund his Evil Inc. venture, along with commission work ranging from family-friendly to NSFW.

Brad is also directly associated with ECCC through his collaboration with Tales from the Con. If you attend comic book conventions regularly, you may end up living-out a scene described in Tales of the Con, which was available in book-form from the ECCC Merchandise Booth.

I was in such a rush trying to get to the con on time, that I forgot to peruse through my collection to ensure I don't by any duplicates. Lately, I've been buying duplicate gaming items, which require a second trip back to the store to return them.

With Brad's help, I was able to figure out how many Evil Inc. volumes I already had, and which I could safely buy.

(Image: My latest books signed by Brad Guigar)

Ron Randall is another artist I like to pester talk to. He's enjoys meeting with fans, even ones like me already suffering from "con-fatigue." (See my supersonic fly-by post about my mental state).

(Image: Ron Randall)

While he was autographing the latest two Trekker books, I noticed Ron was a collaborator for Future Quest. So we ended up talking about our mutual love of the best animated series ever--Jonny Quest.

Since I bought two of his Trekker books, Ron threw in his artist sketch book for free.

When I go on a shopping spree at events like ECCC, I try to keep an eye out for items friends or family members may like.

Last year, a coworker lent me Watchmen to read, in order to compare to novel to the film. While my knowledge of both Watchmen mediums is still limited, this crappy copy caught my eye.

(Image: Nicole Goux with one of her collaborators, whose name I didn't get)

I asked Nicole Goux, one of the collaborators, about their version. She said it was their homage to the original source material and attempt to analyze the artistic style of the book using their own drawings.

There were several gaming areas at this year's ECCC, but I didn't have time to sit down and play any of them, even the ones who were offering prizes if you win.

I browsed through a few of the vendor stands, but only bought a few supplement card packs from the Flying Frog Productions booth. The staff were very friendly and helpful, especially in helping me figure out what I may have already purchased.

When I finally got around to going through my books and games, I was relieved to discover I didn't buy any duplicates of anything.

Next time I attend, I'll try to remember to write a list of already-owned material.

Studio Spin-Offs

About the Director

I'm a retired USAF TACP (Tactical Air Control Party) member, now working for Washington State Emergency Management. In addition to being an Emergency Operations Specialist at my day/night/weekend job, I'm a Foreign Affairs Specialist, gamer and writer.
I maintain three blogs as an on-line platform. "Stern Rake Studio," my central site, explores a variety of topics on gaming, pop-culture and writing. "Station WTFO" is where I post comments and discussions on the national and international issues that concern us. Finally, "The Redshift Chronicles," is a spin-off of "Stern Rake Studio." This site focuses on sci-fi gaming and is home to my long-form webcomic "Breakout from Bongolaan."